Lyoto Machida Earns the UFC Light Heavyweight Title Shot Again

Good news for Machida’s fans! The 34 year old fighter from Belem, Brazil has earned himself a shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight title again after defeating former TUF winner Ryan Bader in just the second round of their fight last Saturday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Machida will now face the winner of UFC 151’s main event which is between current champion Jon Jones and challenger Dan Henderson.

UFC President Dana White has announced after last Saturday’s UFC on Fox 4 that Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida will wait to see who will win over Jones and Henderson.

Remember that Machida already faced Jones but he lost top him through a technical submission in UFC 140 last December 2011. His defeat early at less than five minutes of round 2.

Lyoto Machida has been an impressive fighter having 18 wins and 3 losses on his fight card. He stands tall at 6’ 1” and at 204 pounds. He has been one of the toughest contenders at the light heavyweight division defeating fighters like Ryan Bader last August 4 at the UFC on Fox 4 and Randy Couture at the UFX 129 last April 2011. It is also important to note that before he lost to Mauricio Rua at the UFC 113 in May 2010, he has a consistent 16 wins from different fighters most of them wins over unanimous decisions and technical knockouts. Either Jon Jones or Dan Henderson will be a perfect opponent for Machida who has seen great fights over the years.

Jon Jones is another prized fighter that will prove to be a great challenge for Machida. “Bones” is just 25 years old and stands 6’4” at 205 pounds. He has 16 impressive wins with only 1 loss to his name. He has 7 straight wins over great fighters like Rashed Evans, Machida himself, Quinton Jackson, Mauricio Rua, Ryan Bader, Vladimir Matyushenko and Brandon Vera. His only loss was with Matt Hamil at the UFC – The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale in December 2009.

And don’t forget that Don Henderson is also a worthy fighter to note of. Dan “Hendo” Henderson is 41 years old from Temecula, California and stands 6’1” at 204 pounds. He has 29 wins and only 8 losses to his card; he has four straight wins from impressive fighters like Rafael Cavalcante, Renato Sobral, Mauricio Rua and Fedor Emelianenko.